


Expedition To New Lands

by Varewulf



Series: SE.RA.PH. At Peace [8]
Category: Fate/Extella, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Silly, young Altera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 18:19:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15757170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varewulf/pseuds/Varewulf
Summary: Hakuno and young Altera go on an educational expedition to one of the newly formed areas on SE.RA.PH.





	Expedition To New Lands

**Author's Note:**

> Told you I wasn't done with Extella yet. This one is simply inspired by the suggestion of Altera and Hakuno having some bonding time. I've been pondering for a while how I've wanted that to happen. And this is what I came up with. Pure, silly fluff.
> 
> For self-indulgence's sake, I modelled this new area after Norwegian woodlands near the coast. Just a bit of... nostalgia, perhaps? I remember going to beaches much like this when I was younger. Not actually any bears where I live any longer, but there had to be a bear, you know?

Kishinami Hakuno was filling up a backpack with various things she thought might be needed that day, when she heard the door open behind her.

"Hi, sweetie," she said loudly, taking an educated guess at who it might be.

"Aw, mum, no fair! I was gonna sneak up on you!" a young voice complained.

Hakuno turned, and smiled at young Altera, who was looking slightly disappointed after closing the door behind her.

"How do you keep doing that?" Altera asked as headed over.

Hakuno reached out and patted Altera on the head. "I'm a wizard, you know. One of my special powers is always knowing where you are," she said with a smile.

A slight gasp came from Altera, before her expression changed to a suspicious stare. "You're making that up," she said accusingly.

"Am I, now? Are you sure about that?" Hakuno teased, and sat down, patting her lap for Altera.

The little girl looked uncertain for a moment, before she smiled wide, and hopped into Hakuno's lap. She was definitely getting heavier, but Hakuno wasn't sure at what rate she was growing. Was it going to take several years before she was an adult again, or would it just be a year or two, or might it only be a matter of months? Hakuno could hardly call herself an expert on kids in the first place, and she wasn't exactly an ace at biology either.

"So, did you have fun?" Hakuno asked.

"Ye!" Altera nodded eagerly.

Today had been their trial run of letting Altera and Mordred ride Riders while playing inside. Hakuno had been hesitant to approve the idea, but with all the Servants, Artoria included, being open to the idea, she felt she should at least let them try. The biggest surprise had been that both Iskandar and Medusa had agreed so easily. And she hadn't heard any particular commotion, or felt anything shake, nor had anyone come running to fetch her, so those were all good signs. Probably.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"We broke a table. And a shelf. And a vase. And Iskandar hit the wall so hard it made a dent," Altera recounted, in the tone of someone who had been told to fess up. Someone must have told her to tell Hakuno everything. "B-but mama fixed it all with her ring!" she was quick to add. "And Medusa was very nice. I got a hug!"

"Did anyone get hurt?" Hakuno had to ask, while trying to stay serious, and not laugh.

Altera shook her head.

"That's good. That's the important part." Hakuno smiled, and also gave Altera a hug. She wouldn't be outdone in that department.

"What's that?" Altera asked, pointing at the backpack.

"Hm? Oh, I was just packing for our little trip," Hakuno answered.

"And that?" Altera pointed at two large boxes sitting close by.

"That's..." Hakuno sighed. "Both Nero and Tamamo insisted on making lunches for us." It was a lot of food altogether. "Even though I told them we weren't going there for a picnic."

"Picnic?" Altera's expression lit up.

"Sweetie..." Hakuno wasn't sure to turn Altera down when she looked like that. "Maybe after we're done, we can call your mama and mother, and have a picnic. But! The expedition comes first."

Altera was nodding eagerly, probably already thinking more about the picnic than anything else. Hakuno wondered, not for the first time, what it was with Sabers and their obsession with food.

Hakuno carefully slid Altera off of her lap as she got up. "So, are you ready to go?" she asked, as she loaded up what was left into the backpack. Amazingly it all fit, somehow.

"Ye!"

Hakuno put on the backpack. It was a little heavy, but she figured she'd be able to handle it. Then she took Altera's hand, and activated the Regalia.

* * *

Even after being on SE.RA.PH. for so long, and doing this so many times, there was still a moment of disorientation after using the teleport function. Always a slight loss of equilibrium. Annoyingly the Servants never seemed affected by it, so Hakuno tried her best to not let it show.

The two of them re-materialised in a wooded area. Large evergreen spruces stretched into the sky. Shorter pine trees were laden with cones that had already started to drop. More moss and heather could be seen than grass. Birch trees filled the air with their particular scent. And there was a hint of salt on the wind which made Hakuno feel a little tingle of excitement.

"Where are we, mum?" Altera asked, gawping at everything around them.

"Well..."

It was one of the new lands the Moon Cell had recently created. A little over a week ago this had all been part of the Wastes. But Altera already knew that much. After the scouts had reported there were no abnormal dangers in the area, Hakuno had decided to invite Altera on a little educational expedition. Just the two of them.

"By my estimation, I would say this area is modelled after the woodlands you used to find in northern Europe, or perhaps the northern parts of North America. Maybe some mix of both," Hakuno said, eyeing their surrounding area. The Moon Cell didn't always just copy scenery that had been on Earth, it would also in some cases remix it. For what purpose was uncertain. Perhaps simply out of curiosity? Experimentation? The Moon Cell's intelligence went so far beyond any artificial intelligence created on Earth. Not to mention that considering how long it had existed, it was possible it had developed certain quirks.

Like how certain mythological creatures would appear in appropriate surroundings. Was that the Moon Cell's way of confirming that those things had actually been real, and not mere myth, or was it creating them based on those myths? Did it not make a distinction between fact or fiction on those cases? Was it yet another experiment?

Hakuno fished out a data pad. Even if it was hard to get answers on what its motives were, at least the Moon Cell was willing to tell her _what_ she was looking at. She could use the pad to identify plants and animals they came across.

Something rustled in the heather close by. Altera immediately jumped in between Hakuno and the rustling. Even as a child, certain protective instincts remained. But all that came out from the brush of pink flowers was a small green-brown creature.

"What's that?" Altera asked.

Hakuno didn't even have to point the pad at it. "It's a frog."

Altera let out a tiny gasp. "Frog..." she whispered, and crouched down to get a better look at it. "Ooo..."

Hakuno smiled, and crouched down besides Altera. "Do you like it?" she asked. It was quite slim, and occasionally it would hop a few times, but it seemed unconcerned by their presence.

"Can I take it home? I wanna show Mordred!" Altera said excitedly.

Hakuno patted Altera on the head. "I think the poor thing would be upset if we carried it with us. But we can come back with Mordred at some point?" she suggested instead.

Altera looked a little disappointed. "Okay..."

They got up, and started walking. The woods weren't super dense, so while the ground was a little uneven, it wasn't that difficult to walk. The sunlight streaming down made it easy to see their surroundings.

As they pushed past some trees, and into a clearing, they realised they were no longer alone. A massive beast stood there on four long legs with cloven feet. It had brown fur, and was about the size of a small car. A curiously shaped head turned to look at them, with a large, distinctive, round snout. Large antlers sprung out from the top of its head.

Again, Altera immediately jumped in front of Hakuno. "Mum, watch out! It's a demon!" she said, her sword appearing in her hand.

"Sweetie, no. That's a moose," Hakuno said quickly, before Altera could think to attack.

Hakuno had read about moose before, though she hadn't been prepared for how big they were in person. It was certainly intimidating. Though calling it a demon was going a bit far.

"A... moose?" Altera hesitated. "Is it tasty?" she asked a moment later.

Hakuno blinked. "Uh... maybe? But don't kill it, please," she said. It hadn't done anything worth killing it for, and even if they were to kill it for food, she didn't want to lug around that whole carcass for the rest of the trip. They probably couldn't lift it anyway.

Regardless, the animal apparently decided it didn't want anything to do with these strange, bipedal creatures, and bolted into the woods. Moose were known to be dangerous if you got too close, but maybe the sight of Altera's sword had scared it away.

They kept walking, until they heard a soft roar close by. Between the trees they spotted another large, brown creature, though this one had much shorter legs, that ended in paws rather than hooves. Not to mention it had a more predatory muzzle, and a fluffy appearance.

"Demon?" Altera asked. Her sword was out again.

"No. Bear," Hakuno said. Even though she knew how strong Altera was, so there was probably no danger even if the animal chose to attack, she couldn't help feeling nervous.

"Tasty?" Altera asked again.

"Um... probably not," Hakuno said. She hadn't tasted bear meat, but she had heard that carnivores tended to have stringier meat than herbivores. Though that train of thought led to her wondering if the bear considered them tasty. "Still, please don't kill it unless it attacks first..." She had some trouble keeping her voice steady. Even with everything she had faced fighting alongside Nero and Tamamo, having a bear look at her was a rather unnerving experience. Some base instinct in the back of her mind, perhaps.

"Okay," Altera said, though she didn't take her eyes off of the beast. She seemed tense. Maybe she sensed Hakuno's nervousness.

Fortunately the bear decided to head away from them, and deeper into the woods, like the moose had. Hakuno let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding in.

Their trip continued, as Altera inspected trees, berries, flowers, spiders, two squirrels, a bunch of birds, various insects, and so on. All the while asking lots of questions for Hakuno to answer. Who felt really glad for the data pad, as most of this she didn't really know. Some of it, sure, but not most.

And she had to talk Altera out of hunting down every mosquito in the forest after one of them bit her. Thankfully Hakuno was able to get rid of the itching with a code cast. But the mosquitoes had to watch out now, because they had been judged to be bad civilisation.

Finally they hit a point where the trees thinned out, and they came out into an open area. It was a stretch of marsh, where they could see stony ground beyond. The salty smell was much stronger here, and Hakuno was hoping it meant what she thought it did.

But before they could go any further, they noticed something, or rather someone, near the forest's edge about fifty metres to their right. It was a woman, and even at this distance they could tell she was beautiful. You could even say enchanting. She had long, fair hair, and wore a white dress. When she noticed them, she waved at them, and skipped into the forest.

"Should we follow her?" Altera asked, clearly curious.

Hakuno was curious too, but... "We had better not," she said. There had been a long tail with a bushy tip sticking out from under the woman's dress. So whatever sort of being she might be, they were probably better off leaving her alone for now. Besides, they were so close to their destination.

Past the marshy ground, all vegetation except some bits of yellowy moss gave way to sheer rock. And just beyond that, accompanied by the sounds of waves lapping at the shore, the thing Hakuno had been hoping for came into view: A vast body of water. The ocean. Or at least the Moon Cell's recreation of one.

Hakuno had no idea how far it stretched, but they couldn't see an end to it from here. Surely it couldn't be as big as any sea on Earth, but it certainly gave off the feeling of it. Bits of rock, and tiny islands, could be seen among the water stretching outwards, but no sign of an opposite shore.

"Whoooaaa..." Altera said, echoing Hakuno's thoughts. The salty sea air tinged with the smell of kelp and seaweed was refreshing. "Mum, what's this?"

"It's... the ocean," Hakuno said in awe. She had read about them, and maybe the person she'd been based on back on Earth had even seen one, but she had never thought she would have gotten to see one for herself. Even as a recreation. It looked amazing.

"It's so big..." Altera said.

"Uh-huh..." Hakuno concurred.

Once they got over their initial awe, they went closer. Hakuno spotted a slightly rocky beach not too far away, and they made their way down there. It wasn't quite the idyllic sort of beach you'd see in movies and TV shows, but it had sand. A heavy, grey sand that smelled of silt, but it was still sand.

Hakuno found a dry rock to put the backpack down on. Her shoulders ached a little, but it wasn't too bad. She pulled out a blanket from inside, and rolled it out to have something to sit on. Meanwhile Altera had taken to exploring the beach, finding sea shells, seaweed, and rocks that she could throw into the water. Either to skip, or to make a splash. She seemed to enjoy both. But she also found stuff _under_ some of the rocks.

"Muuummmm!" she called out as she came running towards Hakuno, who had pulled out a thermos of tea. "What's this?!" Altera was holding up a blackish brown shelled creature, with eight legs, and two big claws. Well, big compared to the rest of it, as the body was maybe about the size of a golf ball.

"That's..." Hakuno looked a little closer. "A crab." She had seen those in books too, though she hadn't realised they could be that small.

Altera let out a tiny gasp. "Crab..." She looked at it. It looked back at her, waving its appendages about. "Tasty?"

"Er..." Hakuno should have seen that coming, yet somehow she didn't. "If cooked right, but... maybe not when they're that small?" She honestly didn't know. But she would rather Altera didn't try eating them raw. "You want some tea, sweetie?" she asked, pouring a mug.

"Okay!" Altera very carefully put the crab down on the sand, where it scurried away towards the water, and then she accepted the mug.

The two of them sat down. Hakuno looked out across the water, and the bits of rock sticking out of it. "You know... when I first woke up here, in this world, I never would have expected to experience things like this," she said. In all honesty, she hadn't expected to survive a week.

"Me neither," Altera said, her tone a little more mature.

Hakuno smiled, and put down her empty mug. "Hey, wanna go into the water?" she asked.

Altera looked at her, then grinned. "Ye!"

Hakuno got up, took off her shoes and socks, rolled up her trouser legs, and headed for the water slightly behind Altera, who had just kicked off her shoes, and ran for it.

"Eeee, it's cold!" Altera squealed.

"Eeep, yes it is!" Hakuno squeaked when she got in a couple of seconds later.

The two of them had some fun splashing around, though they didn't go too deep. Only about halfway up Hakuno's shins. The water temperature definitely didn't match the air temperature, but it was still nice in its own way. It made you feel alive.

* * *

"I'm so happy you asked us to come, Husband!" Tamamo chirped.

Nero and Altera were currently racing along the beach, while Hakuno was taking a break. She didn't have the same stamina as those two.

After playing around for a while, Altera had remembered that she had been promised a picnic. So Hakuno had called for Nero and Tamamo, and asked them to come to their location.

"How interesting that you found a beach," Tamamo said. "Though it's not exactly the most glamorous..." she added as she looked up and down the length of it.

Hakuno giggled. She agreed it wasn't exactly what you might call a tourist destination. "Maybe not, but it's still nice. I've always wanted to see the ocean." She laid out the extra blanket she had asked them to bring, and fished the food out of the backpack. They had brought more food too, even though they had sent so much with them to begin with.

"Hey, you two!" Hakuno called out, raising her voice. She could see both Nero and Altera stop, and look her way. "It's time to eat!" They both immediately came running in her direction.

Maybe some other time they could bring a grill and some barbecue. Invite some of the others. But just having a small family outing was nice. Right then and there Kishinami Hakuno couldn't feel any more blessed.


End file.
